‘VICTORY’

Please feel free to comment on my review.

This ‘Beast Wars’ episode was the fifth and final one shown in the October half-term week on GMTV in 1998. I found this a good episode to close the five-episode mini-series of the October 1998 half-term week. I almost consider this episode as the mid-season finale. 🙂

The Maximals have installed a secret spy camera into the Predacons’ base to watch what they’re doing. An explosion occurs at the Predacons’ base, leaving no survivors. The Maximals assume they’ve won the Beast Wars and they investigate the Predacons’ base.

They collect certain items that will help them on their return journey to Cybertron. Dinobot meanwhile considers staying behind, believing he wouldn’t be welcome on the Transformers’ home planet anymore. It’s interesting to explore Dinobot’s angle in the story.

It was established Dinobot wasn’t keen on returning to Cybertron in ‘The Probe’. He announces to Optimus Primal and the Maximals that he’s staying behind on ‘the mysterious planet’ they’re on to ‘conquer and rule’. I assume that’s most of the animal kingdom.

But it turns out that the Predacons’ demise has been set up as a trap by Megatron when he and his kind found the secret Maximal spy camera in their base. Megatron, Terrorsaur, Waspinator, Tarantulas, Scorponok and Blackarachnia hide, waiting for the right moment.

Dinobot comes across their hiding place and sets off to warn Optimus and the Maximals who are about to take off in their ship, the Axalon. Megatron and the Predacons pursue Dinobot, striking him down just when he’s just close enough to reach the Maximals’ base.

Optimus goes out to rescue Dinobot with Cheetor accompanying them. Tigatron is aboard the Maximals’ base and he helps Rhinox and Rattrap with firing the ship’s weapons at the approaching Predacons. Sadly, the Maximals don’t get to return home. 😦

The episode’s climax is pretty tense and gripping, which inspired to write a similar style of climactic ending in my ‘Doctor Who’ story ‘City of Monsters’. I enjoyed the Superman-like “Is it a bird?”, “Maybe a plane?” quote when Optimus Primal had come to the rescue. 🙂

‘Victory’ rating – 10/10